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Steve Bannon
Stephen "Steve" Bannon (27 November 1953-) was the executive chairman of the conservative Breitbart News agency, a talk show host, and the CEO of US Republican Party nominee Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016. From 20 January to 18 August 2017, Bannon served as the first White House Chief Strategist. He was infamous for his far-right views, inflammatory statements, and his unpopularity among many establishment members of Trump's cabinet. Biography Stephen Bannon was born in Norfolk, Virginia on 27 November 1953 to a family of Catholic Irish supporters of John F. Kennedy, and he graduated from Virginia Tech in 1976; Bannon also received a master's degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School. After serving in the US Navy, Bannon worked at Goldman Sachs, and he opened his own media-specializing investment bank. Breitbart CEO In 1998, he sold his company and became a film producer, and he was recruited into Breitbart News after being noticed due to his making of a 2004 documentary about Ronald Reagan; he departed from his family's liberal views to become an alt-right supporter. Bannon became the executive chairman of Breitbart News, a Siriux XM conservative commentator, and the CEO of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, although he became a controversial person; during the 1990s, he had made anti-Semitic comments about the schools that his children were attending, he was accused of making white supremacist comments on Twitter and on the radio, and he claimed that the USA was entering a "global war against Islamic fascists" in 2014. In 2016, he was one of the people being considered to become a cabinet member under Trump, being the far-right choice, while Reince Priebus was the conservative and establishment option. Adviser to Trump On 13 November 2016, Bannon was appointed Senior Counselor under the Trump administration, which led to national outcry against Trump's appointment of a known white nationalist to a cabinet position. Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke and the neo-Nazi National Policy Institute chairman Richard B. Spencer both praised his appointment, saying that he would make their voices heard. Bannon managed to gain a seat on the National Security Council under President Trump in January 2017, and he was a free-floating adviser without the need for other aides. Bannon had Trump's ear, and he became one of the most powerful people in the capital, as he authored much of Executive Order 13769, the order banning Muslims from several Middle Eastern and North African countries from entering the USA. The New York Times called him "President Bannon" in an article that discussed his immense power. Bannon was heavily criticized by politicians (on both sides of the isle) and the press for his nationalist views, as well as for the immense power that he wielded in the White House. Bannon also leaked information on Trump allies who he disagreed with to alt-right websites, such as that of Mike Cernovich, and he continued to be the de facto editorial director of Breitbart News. In August 2017, Bannon was again in the spotlight as a result of the alt-right Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia; Trump's comments on the violence being caused by "many sides" were seen as possibly influenced by Bannon. Many people within the Republican Party (including short-lived Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci) called for Bannon's removal, and he was fired on 18 August 2017. However, Bannon said that the process had occurred over the course of two weeks, and that he had merely submitted his own resignation. Category:1953 births Category:Americans Category:Businessmen Category:American businessmen Category:Irish-Americans Category:Catholics Category:People from Virginia Category:Republican Party members Category:Virginia Republicans Category:American fascists Category:Fascists